Dr. Haass,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am very pleased to welcome you – and in the case of some of you, welcome you back – to Seoul.

Last week, Koreans celebrated the Lunar New Year, the most important traditional holiday in Korea. As you may know, in Korea we celebrate both New Year’s Day and the Lunar New Year’s Day. So, if you made New Year’s resolutions but haven’t lived up to them, you have one more chance to start anew!

Just after New Year’s Day, on my first diplomatic engagement of 2015, I visited Osan Air Base to meet American men and women in uniform. And today, just after the Lunar New Year, I am getting a strong start to the “Year of the Sheep” by meeting you, members of the Council on Foreign Relations Leadership group. I think that this is not just the result of fortuitous coincidence. – this is proof of how seriously Korea takes the Korea-U.S. alliance.

At a personal level, story of my life matches the remarkable story of the Korean-American friendship. Back in 1953, the year of my birth, we signed the Alliance treaty. When I joined the diplomatic service, my first job was on Alliance matters. And in 2013, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, I celebrated our Alliance’s diamond anniversary.

And indeed, our ties are now at their best ever – but I am determined to make it even better. Perhaps you will wonder, is it possible? Yes, it is. Together, we can make it even better. As President Obama said, “the future rewards those who press on.” Korea and the U.S. are working hard together to create another success story for the generations to come. So, let me briefly tell you how we are doing this on four levels – bilaterally, on North Korea, in the region and around the world.

First, bilaterally, President Park’s upcoming visit to the U.S. this year will be another important opportunity to reaffirm our close ties. President Park visited Washington D.C. in 2013, and President Obama was in Seoul last year, so our leaders’ annual visits are becoming a like pattern. At the moment, we are working out the details, to make the visit a success.

Another major issue we are working on together is the agreement on civil nuclear energy, which is to be revised after more than four decades. I am hopeful that in the foreseeable future, we will have a new, mutually beneficial agreement. We already have two important treaties: the Alliance treaty, or Mutual Defense Treaty, which is the linchpin of peace and stability on the Peninsula and the Asia-Pacific; the Free Trade Agreement, which shows our commitment to shared growth and prosperity. Together with these two, the new nuclear energy agreement will be another historic landmark that will buttress our alliance.

Next, on North Korea, like Secretary Kerry and I have said, "there is not an inch of daylight" between us. Thanks to our Alliance, we have been able to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, the U.S. is a strong supporter of South Korea’s vision for reunification.

I know that many of you here take a keen interest on Korean reunification. Last month in Davos, I spoke at some length on our vision of a unified Korea and the benefits it would bring – for Korea, the region, and the entire world. I was really gratified how the global leaders there chimed in with our vision – of turning the geopolitical curse of division into the geopolitical benefit of unification; of linking the Eurasian continent from East to West and connecting Eurasia with the Asia-Pacific; and of bringing another miracle on the Korean peninsula. Some said, they would invest all their wealth in a unified Korea – and I reminded them, that day is coming!

On Northeast Asia, Korea and the U.S. have been working hand in hand to build up peace and cooperation. The U.S. is supportive of Korea’s Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, or NAPCI. NAPCI reinforces the U.S. strategy of rebalancing towards the Asia-Pacific by fostering regional cooperation, starting with soft issues.

Regional cooperation is crucial for Northeast Asia, as tensions are rising. Replacing tensions and distrust with trust and reconciliation is especially meaningful this year, as we mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. I earnestly hope that we will be able to witness an honest acknowledgement of history, and a clean break with the past; so that finally, “the better angels of our nature” will have prevailed again, and we can all move on, truly liberated by remembering the past.

Last but not least, globally, we are an alliance that is aiming far, trying to make a better world. This is what we mean by a comprehensive global alliance. Together we are fighting the Ebola epidemic, terrorism and violent extremism. Another example of this is how we are taking turns in hosting newly launched multilateral initiatives. We did it for the G20, the Nuclear Security Summit, and this year, we will do it again for the Global Health Security Agenda meeting in Korea.

In closing, Korea and the U.S. have come together in an extraordinary journey. But to rephrase the great American poet Walt Whitman, you should always keep your face to the future. And indeed, that is what we are doing – going together for a shared future, a future of freedom, peace, friendship and hope.

So, ladies and gentlemen, may I now invite you to join me in a toast. To our shared future, we go together – 같이 갑시다! Thank you.